Special Issue: Cities The city is a solution to the problems of our age, and this week, we present it in the true urban spirit: best ideas forward » August 17, 2011In 2001 Malaysia’s twin Petronas Towers tied each other for the honor of the tallest building in the world. By the middle of this decade they will no longer crack the top 10. Buildings currently under construction are expected to take spots two through seven on the world’s tallest list (for the time being the Burj Khalifa remains in a class of its own), another indicator that the world’s appetite for statement-making skyscrapers shows no sign of waning. In this interactive we feature each of the 10 tallest in 2016, along with some interesting outliers. For each building, we list its location, height, completion date (future dates are necessarily estimates), design architect and the engineering firm.
Read more about the skyline of 2016 in the September issue of Scientific American.
Illustration by Bryan Christie Design; Flash by Ryan Reid
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Add CommentI don’t know why engineers scramble to design and build taller tower while it would be threatened by air attack, earthquake, storm, noise and etc. I think construction of buildings underground would be better and safer.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn spite of the fact that underground building would be insulated against the heat, it is insulated against the noises. Silicon in the soil is appropriate insulation for heat. Thus building with this situation is colder in summer and warmer in winter and energy would be saved easily. Also soil attracts noises which citizens will far away from noises and commotion.
On the other hand wall and columns located underground protects residents against destructive wind and storm. Underground building is good place to hiding from enemy. Build the horizontal tunnels for a main building could help to hide in.
To record-breaking engineers could count floor and measure from bottom to top not from ground level.